The title reads: Uncle Barack’s Cabin?
In my opinion, this is likely the result of cultural misunderstanding, as in these left-wing Germans simply don’t “get” that “Uncle Tom” is a racial slur and would have no idea why. Anyone who has ever lived abroad can testify to the surprisingly large cultural gaps between countries even in this age of globalization. Nevertheless, this is being roundly criticized (even in Germany):
The headline refers to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which has become controversial due to its perceived stereotyping of African-Americans. The novel led to the expression “Uncle Tom” being used to pejoratively refer to an African-American who is subservient to whites.
Gary Smith, executive director of the American Academy in Berlin, a private center which promotes trans-Atlantic relations, told SPIEGEL ONLINE Thursday that the cover left him “speechless.” “‘Uncle Tom’ is a racial slur, and the Taz editors clearly sacrificed substance and principle for an unreflected laugh,” he said. “A journalism that prides itself on treating stereotypes with irreverence needs to think harder about its own deployment of stereotypes and racial allusions. There are countless ways to address the issue of race in this year’s election more intelligently.”
